Aristoteles Holiday Resort and Spa

"Just returned from a really nice break with the wider family and stayed here for 10 nights. Overall, we were pleased with our holiday but there were some areas where there were glaringly obvious areas for improvement. Let’s get the major negative out of the way first. On our very first morning, we approached reception to politely ask whether the bed provided for our 11-year-old daughter could be changed. What had been described as a “sofa bed” was incredibly small, with an extremely thin mattress, and simply wasn’t suitable or comfortable for a child to sleep on for the duration of an extended stay. Unfortunately, what should have been a straightforward and perfectly reasonable request resulted in one of the worst front-of-house experiences we have encountered in many years of travelling internationally. We were met with the Front Office Manager, Lyudmila, whose manner towards us came across as extremely arrogant, passive-aggressive, dismissive and unnecessarily confrontational. We remained polite and respectful throughout, but the attitude we received in return was genuinely astonishing and completely at odds with the level of hospitality we experienced from almost every other member of staff at the resort. I won’t bore you with every detail of what followed, but it was an incredibly poor first impression and, without question, the worst interaction we have ever had with a front-of-house manager during our travels. I subsequently asked to speak with the Hotel Manager in the hope of explaining what had happened and finding a more reasonable resolution. She initially appeared pleasant and empathetic, which we appreciated, but unfortunately that was where it ended. There was no action taken or meaningful follow-up, no later check-in to ensure the issue had been resolved and, from that point onwards, what felt like a noticeable avoidance of any further engagement with us - avoiding all eye contact with any member of our 7 person party. For a hotel that otherwise has some exceptionally warm and caring members of staff, the whole episode was genuinely disappointing and, quite frankly, rather shocking for our first day! We did however, have a genuinely lovely holiday at Aristoteles and came away with some very happy memories. Our room was fairly basic, but it was clean and perfectly adequate for what we needed. The pool area was great and, overall, the staff were incredibly kind, helpful and welcoming. A few people deserve a very special mention. Maria and George on reception, Georgia / Georgina (sorry) who alternated between the beach and pool bars, and our regular waiter Aakash were absolutely wonderful. All four have huge hearts, greeted us with massive smiles every single day and genuinely helped make our holiday feel special. People like this make such a difference to a resort and they are a real credit to the hotel. The beach and sea are beautiful. The first few metres getting into the water are quite painful underfoot because of the stones, so beach shoes are definitely recommended. Thankfully, these are sold in the little shop by reception. Once you're in, the water is crystal clear, wonderfully warm and absolutely gorgeous. We would highly recommend hiring one of the small boats for the day. It was one of the highlights of our holiday and an amazing way to explore the coastline and nearby islands. We hired the 8-seater "Poseidon" for €180 and paid €50 for fuel when we returned. It is worth mentioning that the price seemed to vary depending on when and who you asked, as we'd been quoted €200 for exactly the same boat the previous day. The older guy managing the boats was also rather abrupt, but we took that with a pinch of salt and didn't let it spoil what was a brilliant day sea fishing, island hopping and seafood restaurant hunting. Food was perfectly reasonable at the hotel with no major complaints, although a little more variety would definitely improve things, particularly if staying for a longer period. The all-inclusive drinks were local brands as is common, but actually very good, so absolutely no complaints there. We all saw quite a few areas where I think the hotel could improve the guest experience with a little common sense and minimal effort. The gentleman managing the beach loungers seemed particularly enthusiastic about removing towels from unattended beds and regularly approached guests in a way that felt unnecessarily confrontational. I completely understand the frustration caused by people reserving loungers for hours and then disappearing, but this could be handled much more positively. Simply explaining the policy clearly at check-in and perhaps allowing a reasonable 30-minute grace period for guests who have got up early, secured a lounger and popped away for breakfast would solve much of the problem. It really doesn't need to become a confrontation. We were also surprised by the €100 tourist/climate tax payable at check-in, which works out at €10 per room per night. This is, of course, imposed by the Greek authorities rather than the hotel, but it's worth budgeting for if you aren't already aware of it. Beach/pool towels are available from reception for a €10 cash deposit, which is useful, although charging €1 per towel each time you want to exchange one for a fresh towel was unusual and something we've never encountered at other resorts. It feels like an unnecessary extra charge within an all-inclusive hotel and would definitely be worth reconsidering. Worth visiting the nearest town with the old tower (Ouranoupolis) - only €10 each way in a taxi and a nice change of scenery if you're staying for a while. We're massive seafood enthusiasts and were recommended to try 'La Mare' - we did and it was great. However, when we hired our boat for the day, we stopped at the same town (anchoring on the beach) and had lunch at 'Zorbas' which is next door. Very similar to be honest but our preferred restaurant due to portion sizes and friendliness of the staff - well worth a visit to both! Our only significant disappointment from a staff perspective was our experience with the Front Office Manager, whose approach was very different from the warmth and helpfulness we experienced from almost everyone else. That aside, the overwhelming majority of the staff were lovely people and we had a really enjoyable holiday. The beautiful sea, great pool, boat trip and, above all, people like Maria, Georgia, George and Aakash are what we'll remember most. Thank you to everyone who helped make our holiday so special. ❤️"

"Perfect Location for holidays , rooms were very big and the view was amazing"

"In general, it was a pretty disappointing experience. The room for four people felt more like a cave, as it had no windows. The beach was very small (around 50 metres long) and overcrowded. The rental boats were too close to the beach, and there was a constant smell of fuel/oil in the air. The beach is also not directly next to the bungalows — you have to go through a tunnel to reach it. The toilets on the beach were horrible. The entrance to the sea was full of rocks, so you had to be very careful not to hurt your feet. There was also a lot of sea grass on the bottom, making the water look dark and somewhat unpleasant. The beach bar closes at 6 p.m., which is particularly disappointing because sunset is probably the most beautiful time of the day to enjoy the beach with a drink or coffee. The restaurant and food were generally solid, but there was a lot of recycling of leftover food. For example, roasted chicken breasts served for dinner one day appeared to be served again for lunch the next day, chopped up and mixed with vegetables. The most unpleasant part of the experience, however, was the staffing. The majority of the staff were Asian, which I found uncomfortable and somewhat inappropriate in the context of the resort experience, as most of the guests were white and on vacation while the service staff were predominantly Asian. This created an uncomfortable impression for me."